Monday Musings: Coughlin in no rush to retire

SAN FRANCISCO -- If you think New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin is going to walk away from the game if he wins Super Bowl XLVI, think again.

Even though Coughlin is 65, and would become the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl, he told me Sunday night there is no way he is retiring.

"I feel good," Coughlin said "Retire to do what?"

Coughlin has one more year left on his Giants deal, so expect the Giants to give him a new contract after the season.

One thing about Coughlin, he still has the vigor for the job. There is no letup. You talk to his players, and he's the same guy he was 17 years ago when he became an NFL head coach.

Coughlin has eased up enough that he no longer seems as stressed about the job. He gets relief from the game through his family, including 10 grandchildren. In fact, he almost seems grandfatherly now compared to the coach who came into the league.

"I still love what I do," Coughlin said.

It shows. And why should he retire? Isn't he now considered one of the best in the league?

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be thrilled that Oregon coach Chip Kelly pulled out of any chance of his becoming their coach. Kelly's gimmicky style can work in the college game, but it wouldn't have stood a chance in the NFL. His calling card is that wild offense he runs, but in the NFL there was no way it could work. I love Kelly as a college coach. Not in the NFL. The word is it was the Glazer family, the owners of the team, who pursued Kelly, not general manager Mark Dominik. The Bucs should take a look at Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. He has a great track record with quarterbacks and would be a nice fit for Josh Freeman. Why he doesn't get an interview is a mystery to me.

• It sickened me to hear that fans were putting out threats to 49ers receiver Kyle Williams after he fumbled two punts away in the team's loss to the Giants. It's really a bad representation of 49ers fans. But it's usually a vocal minority.

• Candlestick Park is a dump. The 49ers should be ashamed of that stadium, which is why they want a new one. The league should make it happen. I wouldn't pay to see a game in that facility. It's terrible. Many of the bulbs on the stadium lights never went on, making for a dark field. That should never happen during an event as big as the NFC Championship Game.

• The 49ers lack deep speed. That was evident in their loss to the Giants. Michael Crabtree doesn't run very well and they lack a big-play guy on the other side, although Williams has potential. They need to give Alex Smith more help.

• 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald doesn't get the due he deserves playing next to Justin Smith, but he showed his true ability against the Giants with two sacks and stellar play against the run. The 49ers made a wise move re-signing McDonald before the season.

• I know a lot of people will blame Billy Cundiff for the Ravens losing to the Patriots because of his missed field goal from 32 yards. But some of the blame has to go to coach John Harbaugh. On third-and-1 from the 14, the Ravens should have run the ball to get a first down, then spiked it and run two more plays. They needed a yard. But Joe Flacco threw an incomplete pass and they had to kick. They also had a timeout if they needed it. They took that home with them, even though they had to rush to get the kick off. Cundiff choked on his kick, but he wasn't alone.

• Credit to Joe Flacco. He outplayed Tom Brady. Maybe Ed Reed needs to light him up every week.

• If defense and running game wins championships, how come the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl features teams ranked 20th (Pats) and 32nd (Giants) in rushing and 24th (Giants) and 31st (Patriots) in total defense?

• New Rams coach Jeff Fisher isn't backing off his vision of being a run-heavy team. Hey, Jeff. It's 2012. You can't win that way. Look at the two teams left playing. The Giants were last in the NFL in yards per attempt and the Patriots were 24th.

• For all the crap the Falcons take for losing their first playoff game in three of the last four seasons, the teams they lost to all went to the Super Bowl. They lost to the Cardinals in 2008, the Packers in 2010 and the Giants this season.

• Love the hire of Joe Philbin by the Dolphins. It's nice to see teams take chances on young coaches. After what he's been through, losing a child, it has to be bittersweet.

• I also think the Saints got a great hire in Steve Spagnuolo to run the defense. He will improve that side of the ball. You watch.

Monday Musings: Coughlin in no rush to retire

CONTINUED: Quoting maise_blue again: "The Rams have a beast at RB in Jackson and no passing game at all. Daniels ignored those truths, just like Prisco is pushing for, and look at the disaster it created for them (the worst offense by far in the league). And drafting Blackmon won't solve all their immediate problems."

Also truth. Let's look at the Detroit Lions. Before the 2011 draft, everyone already knew that they had monster WR in CJ and a very serviceable 2 in Burleson. Yet they ignored their screaming need for an RBF to go with their injury-prone scatback (and the presence of an injured but intriguing beast of a Top-10 DE) to grab a slender reed of a slot receiver, Titus Young. Although there were not a few of us who more or less immediately appreciated the wisdom of this move, there were far more who all but called it stupid. Anyone who watched them this past season cannot doubt that Martin Mayhew got it right. (Just as I suspect he may do again if Alshon Jeffery's star continues to dim. Nate's not getting any younger--and he's surely not dropping any fewer passes than he ever has. Two a game, like clockwork.)

Since: Jan 19, 2009

Posted on: January 23, 2012 5:48 pm

Monday Musings: Coughlin in no rush to retire

John Elway was the single reason the Denver Broncos were even in ANY of those SuperBowls, so he should be praised for the SIX AFC Championships he went to winning FIVE of them and appearing in FIVE Superbowls, even though he won only two. Had Elway had the kind of defense AND running game AND wr talent that a certain Mr. Montana had I think he'd have won all five and MORE.

Since: Dec 1, 2009

Posted on: January 23, 2012 5:40 pm

Monday Musings: Coughlin in no rush to retire

In continuation of my last post, consider the career of John Elway. Many still consider him the finest hunk of QB ever to come off the grill. Yet, during his L-O-N-G prime, he made a total of three trips to the dance and bombed in each one. Stink had to chase him down at Sturgis and all but beg him to return for one last hurrah. Two rings later, the one thing that could be said for true and certain was that John was never the ANSWER for that team. A better defense and an awesome running back took the Mile High to the Promised Land. With Elway under center, MANAGING the game.

Since: Dec 1, 2009

Posted on: January 23, 2012 5:30 pm

Monday Musings: Coughlin in no rush to retire

MAISE_BLUE: Fellow follower of the Wolverine, as to "Prisco and his Arena league mentality," I concur. Then again, who that loved Bo Schembechler wouldn't?

There is a long-standing tendency, among pundits and fans alike, to assume that the only way to succeed is through the slavish imitation of the successful. An altogether silly notion, for, as you so rightly point out, B can do as A does and expect success to follow if and only if B has the personnel that A has got. There will only ever be so many Bradys, Mannings, Breeses, and Rogerses. How long now have these self-same oracles told us that Philip Rivers is the next great thing? He's had better teams around him than Tom has had lately or Peyton has ever had, yet he has yet to sniff it. I'll give odds that Ray Lewis and the Geriatrics with Little Matty Ice and a Ton O' Beef get closer again next season, too. Come to that, Matt Schaub aside, I love me some Texans D.

One of the things that never seems to occur to these clowns is that teams that score quickly and often also tend to give up a lot of points. Crunch time sifts out the wheat from the chaff. 23-20 and 20-17 SHOULD make that obvious, but some people are a mite thick in the calabash.

Since: Sep 11, 2006

Posted on: January 23, 2012 2:39 pm

Monday Musings: Coughlin in no rush to retire

My final response to Prisco and his Arena league mentality.

Does he realize that the ONLY reason either team (NE/NYG) is in the position they are in is because both defenses stepped it up when it counts and both have super QBs that don't need a running game to take the pressure off of them? So for him to diss Fisher for wanting a running heavy team, I say this - why wouldn't you go with your strength? The Rams have a beast at RB in Jackson and no passing game at all. Daniels ignored those truths, just like Prisco is pushing for, and look at the disaster it created for them (the worst offense by far in the league). And drafting Blackmon won't solve all their immediate problems. &nbsp;It would be unrealistic to think he will outperform Dez Bryant or Michael Crabtree in the short term, if ever. So the Rams need to do what the Steelers, Patriots and Giants ALL did before them. Create a winnable environment for their young QB by running the ball and playing great defense. THEN AND ONLY THEN, with a LOT of luck, if Bradford ever develops, they can open things up. Does Prisco remember the 2001 Patriots? The 2007 Giants? The 2006 Steelers (or whatever year they beat Seattle)? Those teams didn't win by placing the burden on their young QBs. Keep in mind, Rothlisberger and Manning are now just into their prime. Brady is a little past his, but all started slowly and unevenly (wonder why Manning has set a record for number of road playoff games won? Its because they can't win enough in the regular season to actually host more playoff games). But great coaching worked those superstar QBs through the growing pains. A dope will force things because everyone else is doing it. I'm just glad that Prisco isn't running the Rams. He'd destroy Bradford and blame it on the QB.

Since: Aug 22, 2006

Posted on: January 23, 2012 1:18 pm

Monday Musings: Coughlin in no rush to retire

Once again Prisco shows his total lack of knowing anything related to football. The pats and giants both shored up their defenses and have played a lot better in the playoffs. This game is a coin flip and the spread was 3 1/2 for the pats which means its a pretty even matchup.

I think most people will pick the giants because they got here the same way as in 07 and they beat the patriots at home this year.